I swear writing this chapter was like pulling teeth. At least for the last two parts. So that's why it took a month for me to post this. But I'm not too happy with the ending, so even though I'm marking this as complete I'll probably write one more chapter at some point.

i.

It's not that Hoya's avoiding Sunggyu. He's just...avoiding being in the same room as him. That's not really the same thing. So running into him in the stairwell as he's coming from lunch throws a wrench into his plans. He's heading up to his art class as Sunggyu is coming down from wherever. Sunggyu snags his arm and pulls him over to a corner of the landing between the two flights of stairs. At least Sunggyu doesn't look upset to see him. And he would have every reason to considering Hoya was the one who instigated their kiss and yet hasn't spoken to him in a week. He waits until it's just the two of them before he says anything.

"Call me crazy, but I'm getting the feeling you're avoiding me."

Hoya ducks his head guiltily even though there's no bite in the other's words. He could use Woohyun and Dongwoo's situation as an excuse, but that has nothing to do with them. He's not afraid to face Sunggyu because of what's going on with their friends.

"Do your ears only get red when you're embarrassed," Sunggyu asks as he reaches out to run his fingers over one of Hoya's ears. His fingers are cool against Hoya's skin, tracing from the shell of his ear to the lobe.

Hoya fights a losing battle to keep his eyes from fluttering at the touch. His heart is hammering in his chest. He hasn't felt so nervous around anyone in such a long time that he's at a bit of a loss for what to do next. Sunggyu's so close and surprisingly not mad (or just not showing it) and Hoya has no idea what's supposed to happen.

"I was kind of hoping to have a conversation with you." Sunggyu has yet to let go of Hoya's ear. His grip is loose as he catches Hoya's eyes and gives him a reassuring smile. "But that would mean you'd have to actually say something."

Hoya looks away again, trying to figure out the best way to go about admitting his feelings to Sunggyu. Although, if he had known he would run into the other boy he probably still wouldn't know what to say. A minute of silence passes and Hoya thinks about weaseling his way out of this confession with the valid excuse of being late for class. But it's just art. Even Ms. Shin isn't overly concerned with her students' attendance. And Sunggyu, for all his cool guy bravado, doesn't look like he'll let Hoya off that easily. He might not be mad, but he still wants answers.

"I know I don't look it," Hoya starts. He meets Sunggyu's gaze as evenly as he can and forces himself to hold it. "But I'm actually not that good at this kind of thing." He's not as embarrassed to admit it as he thought he would be. It's not like he has a reputation or anything. His list of exes is rather short and he's certain all of the people on it would have nothing but nice things to say about him, even though their relationship hadn't lasted. He's a good boyfriend, at least he's always tried to be. His only problem is articulating his feelings. It's easy enough to know that he likes someone and that he wants to be with them. He just has trouble with the words; they feel awkward on his tongue and are almost always inadequate compared to what he really wants to say.

"What kind of thing is this exactly?" Sunggyu's finally let go of Hoya's ear, opting for crossing his arms over his chest instead. His tone sounds defensive like he thinks Hoya's trying to reject him. (Even though neither of them have actually confessed anything yet.)

Hoya thinks about his options before answering. He could come right out and admit that he likes Sunggyu. And then ask him on a date. Or he could open up a bit more about his "emotional constipation" as Sungyeol so helpfully calls it. In the end he chooses a mixture of the two. "This is me saying that I like you. And even though it seems like I regret kissing you, I don't. I liked it...a lot, actually." Sunggyu looks away this time, becoming extremely interested in the wall next to them. His sudden shyness gives Hoya the courage to reach out and take a hold of Sunggyu's chin. He turns Sunggyu's head until he's looking at him again. "This kind of thing," he says slowly, "is me asking you to go out with me."

Sunggyu's sheepishness lasts another five seconds. "Did you get that line from a drama," he asks, batting Hoya's hand away.

"We can try this again some other time, if you want." Sunggyu only laughs and reaches out again for Hoya's ear. From the coolness of his fingers Hoya is sure his ears must be burning red again. He's starting to think Sunggyu might have a thing for his ears. It figures the first person he's liked in a while turns out to be a weirdo. But he shouldn't complain because he kind of likes it. "So Friday's good?"

"Friday's great," Sunggyu agrees. His hand slides down from Hoya's ear to rest at the nape of his neck. He looks at Hoya with a smile that flips the younger boy's stomach. Despite how nonchalant Sunggyu likes to pretend he is, Hoya can see he's just as awkward when it comes to relationships. It shows in the way he leans in just until their noses brush but then stops as if he's second guessing himself. Hoya pulls him closer with a tug on his tie. Their lips graze briefly before Sunggyu gets the courage to kiss Hoya fully. It ends up shorter than either of them would like it to be, but only because Hoya pulls away to give Sunggyu a warning.

"I hope you know that my friends'll be all over you when I tell them about us."

Sunggyu snorts. "Are you worried your friends won't like me," he teases.

"I wouldn't blame them," Hoya throws back with a roll of his eyes. "And they know who you are, so they probably don't like you already." He laughs when Sunggyu smacks him on the shoulder. Them being (sort of) together isn't going to stop him from ragging on Sunggyu. It's kind of a side effect of his emotional constipation.

"Don't worry, I can take care of myself." At least Sunggyu's able to keep up with him. He's not put off by Hoya's teasing and can actually leave Hoya speechless. "We should probably get to class," Sunggyu says with a sigh that sounds like he'd rather do anything but that.

Hoya is equally reluctant, but chooses not to say it. "You do have a reputation to uphold," he quips instead. He's not surprised when Sunggyu oh so eloquently (read: with red-tinged cheeks and another half-hearted smack on the shoulder) tells him to shut up before leaning in to make sure Hoya does just that.

ii.

Woohyun is five feet from the door to the boys' bathroom when it swings open and in walks the last person he's expecting to see. Dongwoo takes two steps into the room before he catches sight of the boy in front of him and stops in his tracks. The door closes behind him with a short thud that echoes in the silence between the two.

Woohyun feels a tightness in his chest as he stares back at Dongwoo. It's barely been a week since their kiss. And only days since he's started seeing the other at other times besides rehearsals. He would be lying if he said he hasn't missed Dongwoo or that he isn't stupidly happy to finally be face-to-face with him. He doesn't even bother trying to look anything other than lovesick. The expression comes too easily.

Tension hangs heavily in the air as they both wait for the other to react. From the wary look in his eyes Woohyun guesses the upperclassman must be expecting harsh words from him. He quells the immediate urge to assure him that he doesn't intend on saying anything hateful. It would be better if Dongwoo spoke first.

"I like you," Dongwoo all but yells. The confession unravels most of the little ball of rejection that had formed in Woohyun's chest. Along with increasing his heartbeat and coloring his cheeks to match the pink on Dongwoo's. "N-no, I didn't mean to say that," he stutters at a more reasonable volume. He twists his hands together nervously, unable to maintain eye contact. "I-I mean I did—I do—like you. I just didn't mean to say that first."

"What were you going to say first, then?" Woohyun had considered staying silent and letting Dongwoo ramble until he figures out what he's trying to say. That would have made Sungyeol proud. But Woohyun doesn't have that kind of a mean streak in him.

"I'm sorry," the older student answers immediately as he takes a couple hesitant steps forward. "I shouldn't have left like that. And I'm sorry for avoiding you. I just didn't know what to say—I still don't know, actually. Not that it matters since you probably hate me right now. I don't blame you if you don't even want to talk to me ever again. But I want you to know I'm really, really sorry. And I would really like it if you gave me a chance to explain myself."

From his expression alone Woohyun can tell how sincere Dongwoo is in his apology. And how upset he is about hurting him. It takes what's probably the last of Woohyun's self-control to keep his feet firmly planted in the same spot he's been standing in since Dongwoo walked through the door. His first instinct had been to go to Dongwoo and hold him close while he accepts his apology, punctuating it with a kiss. (It's incredibly cheesy of him and he will most definitely not be sharing that part when he relays this exchange to his two friends.) But he doesn't want to come off as too submissive. Although his ego is still on the mend, his pride is fully intact. Since meeting Dongwoo, Hoya and Sungyeol have been doubtful of that fact, even though Woohyun has pointed it out to them on many occasions.

"I don't hate you." Woohyun assures him. The relief that washes over Dongwoo's face spurs the next words out if his mouth. "I like you, too. A lot, actually." He takes a deep breath before continuing. If they're going to have this talk now he should be completely honest. "I've liked you since I first met you. I didn't tell you before because I didn't want things to get weird or uncomfortable since you were trying to be my friend. And I didn't think you would ever like me the same way. But that was, you know, before you kissed me." Woohyun doesn't know if he was the one who closed the gap between the two of them or if it was Dongwoo, but now the other student is close enough to touch if he wanted to. And he really wants to. So he does. He takes one of Dongwoo's hands and the other responds immediately, stepping even closer and intertwining their fingers.

Dongwoo visibly brightens at the contact. It's obvious he wants more of Woohyun's skin under his hands. To maybe let his fingers trail across the younger boy's cheek. Or wrap his arms around his waist and lay his head on Woohyun's chest. But the lingering guilt keeps him from acting on the impulse.

"It's okay," Woohyun tells him. "I know it must have come as a surprise to realize you have feelings for me. I get why you reacted the way you did. So you don't have to feel bad about what happened. And I'm willing to hear whatever you have to say."

Dongwoo tries to contain his joy with a small smile as he squeezes the younger student's hand. "So does this mean you're giving me a second chance?"

"Yes, but you should know that if you screw it up again Hoya and Sungyeol are prepared to make you pay for it."

It's hard to tell if Woohyun’s being serious with the way he's smiling and the light tone he uses. "Then I guess I won’t screw it up," Dongwoo concludes. He doesn’t need the threat of bodily harm as an incentive to treat Woohyun well; that’s already his plan. Woohyun hasn’t stopped smiling and Dongwoo couldn’t be happier for it. He’s always liked the younger boy’s smile. His eyes flicker down to the younger student's lips briefly and Woohyun can see the internal struggle Dongwoo has play across his face. His decision becomes evident when he reaches his free hand up to cup Woohyun's cheek. "Can I..." His voice fades from uncertainty, but he doesn't need to finish the sentence. Woohyun gives a slight nod in answer, already leaning down to meet him half-way.

Of course this is the exact moment the bathroom door swings open and the squeak of shoes coming to an abrupt stop pulls them back into the present. Which is them standing incredibly close in the boys' bathroom on the verge of kissing. They jump apart as if they were burned. Woohyun takes a sudden interest in the ceiling, too embarrassed to try to act like something innocent had been going on. Although he's been out of the closet for some years now, like any high school student he would rather not have unsavory rumors about him floating around the school. Which this is sure to cause.

"Oh, don't mind me." This comes with a breezy laugh from the new boy in the room. Woohyun doesn't know if he should feel relieved or mortified that the voice is familiar. On one hand, it's only Kibum so he doesn't have to worry about rumors. But on the other, it's Kibum. "I'll just be, you know, doing what you normally do in a bathroom," he says as he walks past the two red-faced boys to the line of urinals.

Woohyun rolls his eyes at his friend's sarcasm. Most of his embarrassment has faded and now he mainly feels mild irritation at being interrupted. "I was just leaving, actually." He ignores Kibum's barely concealed snort and turns to Dongwoo. The blond had busied himself with the instructions for the hand dryer, but he snaps out of it when he feels Woohyun's eyes on him. "See you at your locker after school?" Woohyun asks him quietly.

He murmurs a yes and gives Woohyun a smile full of cheery hopefulness. If it weren't for Kibum still being in the room Woohyun would kiss that smile right off Dongwoo's face. (Although, if he hadn't shown up they would probably be too preoccupied for Dongwoo to be smiling.) Instead he settles on a lingering touch to the other's forearm. As he's turning away from Dongwoo he remembers he's about to leave him alone with his intimidatingly honest friend and he should give some warning.

"Don't take everything he says too seriously." He tells Dongwoo in an undertone with a tilt of his chin to indicate he was referring to Kibum. Dongwoo opens his mouth, most likely to ask what Kibum might say, but he's interrupted by the very person they're talking about.

"I'll go easy on him." Kibum is leaning against a sink, arms crossed and smirk in place. "Don't worry about it."

"That doesn't actually reassure me." Woohyun takes a look at the boy next to him, both confused and wary. He can't help finding it immensely cute. "Can you try to not to scare him away," he asks his friend. "I’m planning on keeping this one."

Dongwoo is staring wide-eyed after him as he hurries to the door. Despite having already told Dongwoo how he feels, Woohyun is too embarrassed by his words to wait and see what the other might say.

iii.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me."

Sunggyu's sitting on the sidelines in the gym watching the game of dodgeball they technically shouldn't be playing. (But there's a substitute, so the rules get bent a little bit.) He'd been one of the first to get out—partly because he didn't want to participate and partly because if one of the higher-ups caught them then at least he could say he was just a witness. He looks up to see Bora looming over him and realizes belatedly that the statement had been directed at him.

"Um, I'm sorry," he says. The way his voice goes up at the end almost makes it sound like a question. Which is fitting because he doesn't actually know what he's apologizing for.

"You should be," Bora scolds him as she drops down next to him. "I had to find out from someone else that you're dating Hoya. That's something you tell your friends the moment it happens."

Sunggyu gapes at her, speechless. He hasn't even told Dongwoo yet about Howon and him and yet it seems like the whole school knows. To be fair, they had been hanging out a lot already so it's not a far stretch for some nosy student to assume they're dating and spread it around. He starts to ask her where she got that information from, but he's interrupted by Jonghyun on his other side. After getting out in the first five minutes thanks to a hard hit from Minho he'd been glued to his phone, but Sunggyu's love life seems to have upstaged it.

"You're dating Hoya?"

"Yeah, I, uh, I guess I am." Sunggyu glances at him before looking towards the gym floor. The game is still going strong; the sounds of sneakers squeaking on the floor and the rubber balls smacking against the walls fill up the gym. It's feels weird to admit it, that he and Howon like each other; that they're together. But he also likes how it sounds.

Jonghyun smiles as he claps Sunggyu on the back and congratulates him. Sunggyu nods shyly, feeling himself quickly going red in the cheeks. To distract from his embarrassment, he turns back to Bora. "How did you find out anyway?"

"Not from you."

Sunggyu groans and lays back on the floor. It's only been five minutes; of course she's not over it yet. "Okay, I get it," he sighs, "I should have told you. Do you want me to tell you about it now?"

Bora's eyes light up at the question and she latches onto Sunggyu's arm. "Yes. Tell me everything." Sunggyu feels his stomach drop at the excitement in her voice. A look at his watch tells him there's still a good half hour left of gym and his friend isn't going anywhere. Of course, it’s only after he’s dug himself into a hole that he regrets it.

iv.

Sungyeol makes fake gagging noises as he's forced to watch Woohyun and Dongwoo stare at each other. They're not even saying anything; they're just making goo-goo eyes at each other with stupid grins on their faces. This is not what he'd signed up for. "Just kiss already," he groans. It's obvious that's what they want to do. They should just get it over with already. He's happy for them and that things worked out, but he wishes they would act like it. There's no reason for them to be all modest when they've already admitted their feelings. Or maybe that's just Sungyeol. (He's not really one for being understated.)

Woohyun finally looks away from Dongwoo to glare at Sungyeol. Although it would be more effective if he wasn't blushing like crazy. Sungyeol should start dating too if it bothers him so much. Or just learn to deal with it. The scowl melts off his face when Dongwoo laughs and wraps his arm around his waist. He can't stay mad—well, annoyed—with Dongwoo smiling at him like that.

"Is that a no?" Dongwoo's voice is soft in Woohyun's ear. He doesn't seem as shy about the idea as Woohyun would have thought he would be considering they’re in a hallway full of people. And they haven’t talked about what they are to each other yet. With a small shake of his head Woohyun leans in to peck Dongwoo's cheek. His face is burning when he steps back. Dongwoo lets out a cute giggle as he turns towards his locker and fans his face.

"You two are hopeless," Sungyeol mutters mostly to himself. They weren't half as awkward when they'd been hiding their feelings. It's kind of cute. In a nauseating kind of way.

Woohyun shoves him half-heartedly before threatening, "Don't make me come up there." Sungyeol snorts first, amused at the idea, and Woohyun joins in with soft chuckles. Having recovered from his bout of bashfulness, Dongwoo's laughter rings out along with theirs. The only thing missing for Woohyun is the laughter of his other best friend. He scans the hallway for any sign of Hoya, knowing it's only a matter of time before he shows up.

"I think he's avoiding us," Sungyeol intones almost like he's reading Woohyun's mind. Neither of them have seen Hoya since their locker meet-up in the morning. Not even at lunch, also known as Hoya's favorite class. Which had been odd, but they hadn't thought too much about it. Now that it's the end of the day, though, Hoya's absence is glaringly obvious.

"Probably because he doesn't want you to ask him about Sunggyu for the millionth time," Woohyun says. Like a conspiracy theorist, Sungyeol has held on tightly to his belief that there's something going on between Hoya and Sunggyu. Hoya either denies the claims or refuses to answer. Honestly, Woohyun had been too distracted by Dongwoo to worry about who Hoya may or may not be dating, but all that matters to him is that his friend is happy, single or not.

"Well, if he would just tell me the truth I wouldn't have to ask him so many times."

Woohyun rolls his eyes. That's a very Sungyeol-like answer. "And you wonder why he doesn't want to tell you anything." Sungyeol only shrugs, unaffected. "Actually, come to think of it, Sunggyu's not here either." He turns to Dongwoo to ask, "He hasn't told you anything about Hoya and him, has he?"

"I don't know if I should tell you," he replies reluctantly. That only serves to gain Woohyun and Sungyeol's undivided attention. Dongwoo steps back until he bumps into the door of his locker as the two close in on him. He looks exactly like he had the first time he'd met Sungyeol. "But I guess I should?" Woohyun and Sungyeol both nod eagerly. "He told me that he kissed Hoya last week."

There's a moment of silence while the news sinks in. Woohyun speaks up first. "Last week," he asks, his voice getting slightly shrill from his incredulity. Rationally, he knows Hoya probably had his reasons for not telling them. But irrationally, he doesn't think those reasons are very good if Sunggyu didn't hesitate to tell Dongwoo about it. Woohyun didn't even take that long to tell Sungyeol and Hoya about kissing Dongwoo. (Granted, the circumstances had been different and he didn't really have a choice in the matter, but he definitely didn't plan on keeping it a secret for a whole week.)

Woohyun's reaction, although dramatic, is quite tame compared to Sungyeol's. "That lying little hobbit," he fumes. Surprised by the outburst, several students stop to look at him in confusion. He's too caught up in his anger to notice, though.

"You don't mean me, right?"

Sungyeol, Woohyun, and Dongwoo all turn to see Myungsoo standing beside Sungyeol. There's a smile on his face despite the tension emanating from Sungyeol and Woohyun. (Dongwoo is also tense, but mostly from being unaccustomed to the melodrama that is his soon-to-be boyfriend and his friend. He's even unconsciously started holding Woohyun's hand.)

Sungyeol calms down slightly at the sight of Myungsoo. "No, I don't mean you," he says with a sigh.

"Oh, were you talking about Hoya then? Because he's dating Sunggyu now?"

Much to Dongwoo's surprise (and relief), Woohyun and Sungyeol take the news pretty well. They don't look particularly happy to be the last to know, but at least there's no shouting or name-calling. According to Myungsoo, someone had claimed to have seen Hoya and Sunggyu holding hands earlier in the day which sparked rumors that they were dating then it had been confirmed to be true by Sunggyu not too long after and it practically spread like wildfire after that. Myungsoo hadn't believed it until he asked Sungjong, who had already asked Hoya, and he'd assumed Sungyeol already knew so he hadn't bothered bringing it up.

Sungyeol sighs again. He should have seen this coming. Not the whole Hoya-Sunggyu thing; he'd been almost completely sure about that from the beginning. What he should have expected was that if Woohyun ended up with Dongwoo and Hoya finally admitted he had something with Sunggyu, then that would make him the odd one out. His two best friends are dating and he's still alone. He's not really interested in anyone at the moment so it can't be helped, but he still wants to be in a relationship.

"I can't believe Hoya managed to ask someone out before me," he says in disbelief. Woohyun agrees with a nod. Hoya's always been an awkward turtle when it comes to dating; it's a wonder he has any experience at all. Sungyeol has no idea how he managed to attract someone like Sunggyu. And he doesn't want to find out either.

"I'm sure you'll meet someone soon," Dongwoo assures Sungyeol. The genuine smile on his face keeps the younger boy from rolling his eyes at the generic words like he normally would. He knows Dongwoo really means them.

Myungsoo throws an arm over Sungyeol's shoulder and says, "And until then you'll still have me."

"Don't remind me."

v.

In Hoya's defense, it hadn't been his idea to share a kiss in such an obvious place like the auditorium. He'd just gone there to check if Sunggyu knew that the whole school was buzzing with the news of their five-hour-old relationship. (Hoya had only heard about it from a heartbroken freshman who had demanded the truth from him as he was heading to the cafeteria. Of course, he'd assumed his friends knew about it and had then been forced to skip lunch to avoid facing their outrage at being kept out of the loop.)

"I didn't think it was supposed to be a secret," Sunggyu says. His back is to Hoya so he can't see his expression, but Hoya recognizes the defensive tone. It’s the same one he’d used earlier when he’d thought Hoya was rejecting him. Sunggyu’s sitting in front of the piano that’s set up on one side of the stage. He continues tapping random keys as Hoya slowly approaches him. He doesn't even react when Hoya joins him on the bench.

"It's not a secret." Hoya slides a little closer to Sunggyu. "I just wasn't expecting it to spread around the school in one day. Especially since it doesn’t seem like that big of a deal. But it's kinda nice." Sunggyu finally looks over at Hoya. He raises a questioning eyebrow, but doesn't say anything. "Telling people that I'm with you," Hoya explains. "I like it."

A blush creeps up Sunggyu's neck to color his cheeks. "Yeah?" For the first time Hoya is willing to admit that he finds Sunggyu cute. Especially with the lopsided smile on his face. Hoya nods and returns the smile, sliding closer still. "I like it, too," Sunggyu agrees. Hoya can feel his ears getting hotter and hotter and he's surprised Sunggyu hasn't reached out yet to touch them. (And maybe he's kind of hoping he will.) One would think that after they'd both been fifteen minutes late to class thanks to their little talk earlier that day, Sunggyu wouldn't be as awkward as he is leaning in to kiss Hoya. He misses at first, catching the corner of the other's mouth. Hoya snorts softly and tilts his head so that their lips connect perfectly. He reaches up to cup Sunggyu's cheek, the skin slowly with his thumb. As cheesy as it sounds, Hoya doesn't think he could ever get tired of kissing Sunggyu. Or of the way Sunggyu looks at him when they're done. It's full of warmth and affection and Hoya has to fight the urge to squirm from how uncomfortably happy it makes him. (Of course that's his emotional constipation rearing its ugly head.)

"You know, this is really cute and all," Sungyeol's loud voice cuts through the silence in the auditorium. Hoya and Sunggyu turn their heads at the same time to see him standing at the back entrance along with Woohyun, Dongwoo, Myungsoo, and Sungjong. He continues talking as the five of them start walking down the middle aisle toward the stage. "And we promise we'll be really happy for you two, but first we're gonna need you to explain how we were the last to know about this."

"Well, I was kind of the first to know," Sungjong says quietly. But, really, it's not all that quiet when they're in one of the acoustically better rooms in the school. Sungyeol shoots a glare at him and he presses his lips together tightly. He even goes as far as miming zipping his mouth shut and locking it with an imaginary key. Sungyeol isn't impressed. (He hasn't quite warmed up to Sungjong just yet, but Myungsoo still has hope.)

When they finally reach the stage, Dongwoo hops onto it and lays down. Woohyun smiles over at him and reaches out to pet his hair. Myungsoo also goes to sit on the stage. He leans back on his hands as he swings his legs from side to side. Sungyeol stays standing with his arms crossed. Honestly speaking, he's not really all that mad anymore. He had mostly calmed down on the way over. Probably from having to deal with Myungsoo. The other is surprisingly good at being a distraction. Sungyeol doesn't know if that's a good or bad thing. "Well," he asks expectantly.

Hoya knows he couldn't have avoided them forever; that hadn't even been his plan. But he still wishes he could have had just a little more time keeping Sunggyu to himself. (In the figurative sense.) He turns on the bench to face his friends and Sunggyu eventually follows suit. "It wasn't supposed to happen like that," he starts. For some strange reason, it feels like he's answering to his parents rather than his friends. That could be because he's been withholding a lot—everything, actually—about his relationship with Sunggyu. At first he hadn't thought there was anything worth mentioning; they were just flirting talking. But then he started to like Sunggyu and things got complicated. He didn't necessarily mean to keep it from Sungyeol and Woohyun, but he knew they would make a big deal about it (at least Sungyeol would) and he really hadn't wanted it to be one. He still doesn't. "I was going to tell you during lunch, but by then the whole school was already talking about it and I figured you guys would be mad so I didn't."

"We're not mad," Woohyun assures him.

Sungyeol moves to sit cross-legged next to Myungsoo on the stage. "We were mad," he amends.

"He called you a hobbit," Myungsoo informs Hoya.

Sungjong covers his mouth as he laughs. "I can see that."

"Me, too." This comes from Sunggyu of all people. The grin on his face turns his eyes into little crescents. Hoya wonders if he can see the incredulous look he's giving him.

"We're practically the same height." Sunggyu only smiles wider and reaches out to run his fingers over Hoya's ear. (It must be red again.) "If anyone's a hobbit it's Dongwoo," Hoya says with a pout as he bats away Sunggyu's hand.

Dongwoo perks up at the mention of his name, but Woohyun cuts in before he can say anything. "Hey, leave him out of this." He looks down at Dongwoo and they share a sweet look that has everyone else in the room cringing. Except Myungsoo; he's off in his own world.

"So anyway—"

Myungsoo interrupts Sungyeol to ask, "Which one would I be?"

"The ugliest." Sungyeol clears his throat and tries to bring the conversation back to the real reason they're all here. "So anyway, we were mad at you, but now we're just happy for you. And I totally called it, so you're welcome." A chorus of sighs follows the statement.

Sunggyu pops up from the piano bench and pulls Hoya up to join him. "Okay, since we have everyone's blessing we're leaving now."

"We are?" Hoya remains unmoving as Sunggyu attempts to usher him off the stage. Not that he minds getting to spend time with the other boy, but they hadn't really made any plans for the rest of the day.

Sunggyu relaxes his grip on Hoya's forearm to move his hand down to hold his hand. "Unless you'd rather stay so they can ask you about your feelings," he asks with a raise of his eyebrows.

Although intangible, Hoya can feel his emotional constipation start to roil somewhere in the vicinity of his stomach. He might even be sweating. Yeah, there's no way he's opening up about anything, especially not about Sunggyu. He squeezes Sunggyu's hand, eliciting a reassuring smile from the older boy. "I'll call you guys later, okay," he promises his friends before letting Sunggyu lead him towards the backstage exit.

Sungyeol jumps to his feet in an instant. "You can't leave me with these two." He points an accusing finger at Woohyun and Dongwoo. They've gone back to the goo-goo-eyed staring that makes Sungyeol's toes curl involuntarily. His words do nothing to stop Hoya or Sunggyu; they leave without a glance back. A tug on his pant leg brings Sungyeol's attention down to Myungsoo.

"I'm still here, you know," he pouts up at Sungyeol. (Sungjong's quietly added "me too" is promptly ignored by the both of them.) Myungsoo’s eyes have gone all round and soft. He’s probably trying to win some sympathy.

The look doesn’t work on Sungyeol, though. “I was trying to forget, but thanks for reminding me.” Myungsoo smacks the back of Sungyeol’s knee in response, making him stumble. Sungyeol aims a kick at the other, but he’s already hopped off the stage. Naturally, Sungyeol jumps off after him and starts chasing him around the auditorium.

With Sungyeol’s unnecessary screeching echoing in the room, Sungjong turns to Woohyun and Dongwoo. “So you two, huh?”

“Uh, yeah, us two,” Woohyun says slowly. He doesn’t know what the younger boy means by that, but he does know that Sungjong must know everything about his relationship with Dongwoo courtesy of Sungyeol via Myungsoo.

“You guys can go now if you want,” Sungjong tells them. “I’m sure you have more important things to do than babysitting.” He nods in the direction of Sungyeol and Myungsoo. The latter is cackling like an idiot as he weaves through the rows of seats while Sungyeol is busy hopping over the seats trying to catch up to him.

When Woohyun turns to Dongwoo he finds that the other is already sitting up. He takes Dongwoo’s hand in his own once he slides off the stage and they both turn to say goodbye to Sungjong. The younger boy offers a warm smile in return. “You can probably leave too,” Woohyun says. “I doubt they’ll notice.” Which is sadly true. At the back of the auditorium Sungyeol’s finally cornered Myungsoo in the last row of seats. They both seem to have forgotten about their friends. It’s not likely they’ll realize everyone has left for at least another five minutes.

Sungjong leaves with Woohyun and Dongwoo, but stays in the school while the other two head toward the entrance. Outside of the school doors, Dongwoo leans over to press a soft kiss to Woohyun’s cheek. Woohyun looks over at him in surprise, raising a hand to the skin that’s still tingling. “What was that for,” he asks.

Compared to the last kiss they’d shared, Dongwoo isn’t as sheepish. He hums as he thinks of his answer. “Because I can.”

And because he can, Woohyun rests his hand on Dongwoo’s neck and pulls him close again so he can connect their lips. Dongwoo wraps his arms around Woohyun’s waist immediately, kissing him back with just as much eagerness. There’s still so much they have to talk about, but for the moment Woohyun only wants to enjoy having Dongwoo in his arms again. The way he’d wanted to for the longest time. They’re both smiling when they pull away.

“Does this mean what I think it does,” Dongwoo echoes Woohyun’s question from the night of their first kiss. Woohyun nods slowly. It’s not how he’d envisioned this moment; how he’d hoped it would happen. In fact, nothing leading up to it had been what Woohyun would have expected. Which makes sense because if he’s the only one with the script, he can’t expect everyone else to know how things are supposed to go. But as different as it is, he’s just happy that it’s no longer wishful thinking. He finally got the guy of his dreams.